When did high-end spinning and baitcasting reels come about?

[Questor]

After not paying much attention to the catalogs for a period of years, I now find some truly expensive spinning and baitcasting reels, in the $400 to $600 range. When did those begin to appear? Do you happen to know if it's a market niche that is doing well for the companies making them?

[dahlberg]

Hi Q,
Cost is a relative thing. Back when I was a kid, all the local "poor folk" used Pflueger's that cost less than $20 retail. The rich city guys were using Abu 5000A that cost almost 3X that much.
With pressure from discounters to lower the prices Abu baitcasters settled into the $60 range in the 1980's. They believed a fisherman wouldn't pay any more than that, and the quality of the reel was compromised as the manufacturer allowed the discounters to define them.
In the early 90's Shimano, who's never listened to, or allowed themselve to be dictated to by the discounters introduced the Calcutta at an almost unheard of price in the mid $100 range and fisherman climbed all over it! Abu followed suit.
In the past half dozen years or so engineers have been allowed to design the "ultimate" reels in both categories, price them at what ever the sum of all the innovations adds up to, and see if the market will bear the cost.
The high end reels only make up a small percentage of the total business, but serious anglers are investing in them and I think they'll be around for a long time!
best,
L
In the early 90's shimalatawere ochalo[ppr;; tje ;pca;we

[Redlinerobert]

I could not agree more. It's nice to have a choice when it comes to hi end gear, I LOVE my Daiwa Steez rods and reels.